I commented over on the other blog, because I hadn’t seen it here yet.

I’m a native Albany girl, living in NJ (condolences accepted) and ShopRite is awful. Bad meat, bad fish, bad everything. The stores are always a mess.

They recently opened a Price Chopper in Warwick, NY which is about an hour from me, and I try to go there anytime I’m remotely close. Interestingly, they built it across from a SR which they are completely trouncing.

I’m not sure how this one will be, but the Shop Rites in Southern NJ are wonderful, would put H’ford and PC to shame. The deli’s are huge and the tons of salads and dinners to go are the closest to homemade I’ve ever tasted. And I only buy toilet paper etc at Wal Mart

I lived in ShopRite turf for many years. They’ve always had some really nice stores, some that are pretty “gritty” and some in between. If you translate it to our area, it is just like the difference in Price Chopper stores in Saratoga or Clifton Park compared to East Greenbush (in between) or one of the more urban stores (gritty). I would think, given its location and the fact that it is their first store in the area that this one will be a nice one. I don’t think you’ll find it to be that much different from what we already have in the area, except that they do (or at least did) carry a lot of brands that I don’t see around here at all. I’ll definitely check it out, and if they still carry some of the items I can’t get around here, I’ll make it a stop once a month or so.

In my experience, just from a shopper’s standpoint, some of the competing stores mentioned here are vastly preferable to others. Nonetheless, for me it’s more a question of political choice than a better or worse shopping experience. If I spend money at PChop, I know the resultant earnings will go straight into the Republican Party’s coffers for sure. PChop also has made siting decisions that left some neighborhoods abandoned. In comparison, I don’t know much politically about Hannaford (except that it’s a Belgian multinational) or ShopRite (except that it’s a co-op).

I grew up in ShopRite territory and for me, a good ShopRite is like the nicest Price Chopper or Hannaford. It’s been ten years since I’ve shopped at one, but back then, they had selection and variety that neither Hannaford (my preference here) or Price Chopper could match. I’ll visit this new location to see what it’s like, but it’s far from home, so I don’t anticipate making it my regular store.

#8 – ShopRite may be a co-op in a technical sense, but don’t confuse it with being anything like most of us think of when we think of co-ops. Think of it more as an alternative ownership structure for a major business. 25 years ago I knew the two guys who were the biggest owners of ShopRite stores at that time (they were both at an age where I suspect they are no longer active in the business – I haven’t been in contact with them in years). They were good people, treated their employees reasonably well and were good in the communities they served, but they were also wealthy guys who sought to make money through their ownership of the stores and real estate development related to the stores. There was nothing wrong with what they were doing, but they were one of the “members” of the co-op.

I raised my family in Northern New Jersey and ShopRite was a great asset to the community. When I moved up here, I was shocked that they weren’t here as well. They have the best sale/double coupon combinations and I was very disappointed that I was missing out on that. The fact that Price Chopper just started the double coupons looks to me like they are just trying to play catch up. Finally, some real competition in the area !

Note that coupons in the Times Union have recently dropped in value. A coupon that was 50 cents is now 25 cents. That is consistent with the decision by Price Chopper to double coupons. It’s not a coincidence. Find a metro area where the dominant grocers don’t double, and the coupons in the weekly inserts are twice as much.

#3 Niskayuna Co-Op carries Plochman’s mustard and many other gourmet/local products. No need to wait until October. It’s also the right size for quick shopping. PC like most companies gives to all political parties. The best thing for both food shoppers and taxpayers is more competition.